Under a Supermoon
by lesbiansassemble
Summary: What will happen with tomorrow's Supermoon? And will Sirius and Remus acknowledge their feelings for each other? [Marauders Era] SBRL (Wolfstar)
1. Chapter 1

"Mr. Black… ** _Mr. Black_** _."_

Remus glanced down at his friend with a look of exasperation. He was fast asleep, head rested on the wooden desk and he had a trail of drool dripping out of his mouth, leaving a nasty wet patch on his textbook. Remus flicked his nose, attempting to rouse him. " _Sirius._ " He whispered.

When he saw that his efforts were futile, he decided to take more drastic measures. "Wake up." Remus growled, giving him a rigorous kick in the ankle.

"Ow!" Sirius yelped, jumping up from his seat. It took a few moments for his brain to process what had been happening. He noticed the class had fallen silent and were all staring at him, so he sheepishly sank back down into his seat.

"You were saying, Professor?" Sirius prompted, offering her the sweetest smile he could muster. Then, he nudged his elbow into Remus' ribs, who in response muttered a pathetic "Ow." under his breath, and rubbed the area he'd been hit.

"I _said_ , what is special about tomorrow's full moon in particular? Or are have you been too preoccupied with napping in my class that you haven't been listening?" Professor Sinistra repeated, taking umbrage in his lack of respect for the class.

"Well, that's easy, I…uh…" he garbled helplessly.

Remus sighed and tore off the corner of his parchment and scribbled down 'Supermoon', before covertly sliding it across the desk to Sirius.

Sirius glanced down at the answer, his brow furrowing in concentration. "It's a…a sunken moon!" he announced proudly, as if he'd known the answer all along.

There was a moments silence as everyone registered what he had just said, then all of a sudden the class erupted into fits of laughter. Well, that was certainly _not_ the response he'd been expecting. Remus buried his face in his hands, attempting to hide his cheeks that had flushed crimson with embarrassment.

"Alright class, settle down, settle down. I think you'll find it's called a _Supermoon_ , Mr. Black. There is no such thing as a _sunken_ moon." Professor Sinistra corrected him with a sigh of exasperation. "That'll be 15 points from Gryffindor. 10 from you Mr. Black , and 5 from you Mr. Lupin. Furthermore, I expect both of you to be in my office next Thursday at 5pm sharp for detention."

Remus' head snapped up in surprise, much to Sirius' amusement.

"I am not as naïve as you think I am, Mr. Lupin. Don't think I haven't noticed you helping Mr. Black with his answers."

Remus blushed profusely again, and gave her a weak nod. "Sorry, Professor." He grumbled.

Once the class had ended, the boys decided to head over to the common room to see if they could find James and Peter.

"Your handwriting is bloody awful, Remus. I mean look at this…" Sirius exclaims, holding up the piece of parchment with 'Supermoon' scribbled on it.

Remus scoffed. "It's not _that_ bad…in any case, I can't believe you slept through the whole class and got me my second detention _this week_. You know how much of a hard-arse Professor Sinistra can be. You owe me one." He retorted, but his reply was light-hearted. He didn't mind detention that much, as long as he was with Sirius. Despite having the capacity for being an annoying git half the time, Remus actually enjoyed his company.

"At least it's just one detention." Sirius added optimistically.

"I guess." Remus replied, but his mind had wondered back to the class' topic of discussion. Tomorrow there was going to be a Supermoon. What could that mean for him? Surely, his transformation would be just like any other month? Yet, he couldn't help but doubt himself. He chewed his lower lip nervously.

"Why the long face?" Sirius quipped, prodding him in his side.

"Huh?" Remus replied, snapping out of his daze.

"Moooony…pay attention to me." He pouted.

"Sorry, Pads. I was just thinking about what the Professor had said about tomorrow's Supermoon."

"What about it?"

"Well, it's supposed to be much larger than a normal full moon. She said the closer the full moon is to the earth, the more powerful it is. That's why plants picked during a Supermoon are used for some of the rarest and most potent potions. And…"

"And you think it's going to affect you."

"Well, yeah."

"Moony, you worry too much."

"It's a legitimate concern, Sirius. I can't help but worry. What if I put you lot in danger?"

"You're a lyCANthrope, not a lyCAN'Tthrope. Even if your transformation was particularly bad this time, you'd deal with it like you always do. You're tougher than you think…and as for us, we can take care of ourselves."

Remus rolled his eyes at the pun, and let a small laugh escape his lips. If it had been anyone but Sirius, he probably wouldn't have found it so funny. There was just something about Sirius that made him feel at ease. Whenever they hung out together, he would become enthralled in whatever joke or prank he had concocted, and would, even if just for a moment, forget about the bloody full moon for once. In short, Sirius made him feel like he was just any other 16 year old boy. He made him feel _normal_.

A while later, they entered the Gryffindor common room, pleased to see that both James and Peter were there too. James was slouching on the armchair, shuffling through his stack of exploding snap cards, whilst Peter sat by the fire, facing him as he nibbled on a bright blue Sugar Quill. James glanced up from the deck and gave them a grin. "Fancy a game of exploding snap?"

"Bavarian Rules version?" Sirius prompted, causing Peter to stop licking his Sugar Quill and look at him aghast.

"Last time we played that, I lost both my eyebrows!"

James, Sirius and Remus all laughed fondly at the memory. Peter had even tried to paint some makeshift eyebrows on to his face, and suffice to say, art wasn't his forté.

Sirius and Remus plonked themselves down on the sofa facing James and Peter, and dumped their books on the floor as James began to deal out the cards.

As Remus glanced down at the cards, a wave of nausea washed over him. His head had begun to start pounding painfully. He inhaled sharply, as he rubbed his right temple with his fingers. He didn't think anyone could hear him, but Sirius was sitting so close to him that he'd heard his sounds of discomfort. Sirius glanced over to him with a look of concern. "Y'alright mate?" he asked, his stormy grey eyes staring at him intently. James and Peter's heads snapped up and they too looked troubled.

Remus didn't look great, that much was obvious. All the colour had drained from his face, giving him an unsettlingly pale complexion.

"Yeah…Yeah. I think it's just a side-effect of the moon tomorrow." He mumbled.

The three boys didn't look convinced. Normally Remus looked a bit peaky and complained about muscle aches and pains, but he never looked as ill as he did now. Despite their doubts, they each gave a small nod, accepting his explanation.

"I think I'll sit this round out though." He added with a yawn.

Sirius looked uncharacteristically worried. "Maybe you should lie down." He suggested, noticing how exhausted he looked.

"Nah, I'll be alright. Don't want to miss out on Peter's eyebrows singeing off again." He joked, offering his friends a weak smile.

The boys were relieved slightly that Remus was well enough to banter with them, so they did as he said, and carried on playing their game.

They hadn't even started the third round, when Remus' eyelids began to feel as heavy as lead. He struggled to keep them open and within a few moments, he was sound asleep. Sirius was leaning back into the comfort of the plush cushions, so when Remus began to doze off, he flopped backwards, his head lolling onto Sirius shoulder.

Sirius could feel Remus' soft, chestnut-coloured hair tickling his jaw. The corner of his lip twitched into a smile and he shook his head slightly. Remus always hated admitting how tired or unwell he felt, _especially_ in the days leading up to and after the full moon. He hated being a burden to his friends. "Looks like I've got my very own sleeping beauty." Sirius announced, earning a snigger from both James and Peter.

"Careful, Sirius. Moony's a drooler." James quipped.

"Typical werewolf." He replied, rolling his eyes.

"Should we carry him up to his bed?" Peter asked.

"Nah, s'alright. Let's carry on playing. I'll take him upstairs when we've finished." Sirius responded with a shrug. He would never have admitted it to his friends, but he kind of enjoyed having Moony use him as a pillow. It was comforting. Sirius noticed that he was close enough to notice that he smelt like chocolate, parchment paper and pine trees. To him, it was the most enrapturing smell in the world. Resisting the urge to kiss the top off his head, he instead lifted up his right hand and brushed Remus' scruffy hair out of his eyes before concentrating back on the game.

Eventually, the three boys grew tired of playing exploding snap and so they decided to head up to bed.

"Are you sure you don't need help carrying him upstairs?" James asked, giving Sirius an incredulous look.

"This is _Moony_ we're talking about. Not only is he the lankiest Gryffindor that ever walked these halls, but he's at least a head shorter than me." He said with a cocky grin.

"If you say so." James shrugged. "Night, pads." He added with a small wave as both he and Peter trundled up to their bedroom.

With no one left in the common room to see, Sirius absentmindedly rubbed his thumb against Remus' cheek as he watched his friend's chest rise and fall with every soft breath he took. He could have slept right then and there, but he didn't dare think of what the others would have thought in the morning if they had seen them both sleeping together on the sofa. With a sigh, Sirius gently shrugged Remus' head off his shoulder and in one swift movement, he bundled him up in his arms. "You're heavier than you look." he grumbled.

Once he'd finally reached the top of the stairs and entered the bedroom, he carefully placed Remus on his bed, trying not to wake him up. The others had already fallen asleep. Sirius quickly undid Remus' laces, slid his shoes off, then draped a warm blanket over him. Lying there, Moony looked so peaceful. When he wasn't sleeping, he would have a constant look of concern with his typical furrowed brow and the occasional chewing of his lower lip. Yet, in his sleep he seemed so calm, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Sirius sighed, hoping that the full moon would be kind to him tomorrow. "Good night, Moons." He murmured, before turning out the light.


	2. Chapter 2

"Wake up. Moony, _wake up!_ "

Sirius shook his friend hard. Remus jolted upright, his eyes snapping wide open. "What? Where?" he asked frantically, taking in his surroundings. His rigid body instantly relaxed when he saw it was only Sirius and he was in his bed. "Why did you wake me?" he asked, noticing his rapid heart rate.

"You were having a nightmare." Sirius explained, his eyebrows knitting together with concern.

"Oh." He responded simply. Remus looked down at his clothes and saw that his shirt was damp with sweat. "Sorry." he muttered.

"You're apologising for having a nightmare?" Sirius said with a light laugh. "You apologise too much. You may as well be the Queen of bloody England."

"Sorry…I mean…shit." He replied with a weak smile. He then took his sleeve and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "What time is it?"

"Almost time to get up…Are you feeling okay? You looked bloody awful last night, and your shirt's been soaked right through." He commented.

"A little hot, actually. It's probably just from the nightmare." Remus shrugged. "What happened last night anyway? I don't even remember going up to bed and I'm still wearing my uniform."

"You were completely knackered. You zonked out during our game of Exploding Snap, so we carried you upstairs." Sirius explained, deliberately leaving out certain _details._

"Oh…thanks." Remus replied, feeling a little awkward. He imagined the marauders attempting to haul his lanky frame upstairs. He was about to say sorry but caught himself before he did, remembering what Sirius had said about apologising too much.

Without any warning, Sirius leaned forward and pressed the back of his firm hand against his clammy forehead. Remus inhaled sharply at the touch, slightly taken aback by the sudden contact. His hand felt refreshingly cool.

"Bloody hell, you're burning up." Sirius muttered, pulling his hand away. "We should take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No! _No._ I'm fine, honestly. Just a little hot, that's all. It's just the side effects of the full moon tonight. I really hate being stuck in the Hospital Wing, and I'm going to have to be there tomorrow anyway." Remus begged, wincing slightly at the thought of having to be there tomorrow to recover from his transformation.

Sirius looked into Remus' amber hues, every fibre of his being wanting to bundle him up in his arms and force him to see the nurse so he could be looked after properly. But how could he resist that look? Sirius was a sucker for Remus' puppy eyes. Damn werewolf. "Fine. _Fine_. But if you get any worse, I'm taking you straight there, whether you like it or not." He sighed.

"Thanks, Padfoot." Remus replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Right. Take your bloody shirt off then, and I'll get something to cool you down. Nurse Black, at your service." He said sarcastically, before doing a highly exaggerated curtesy.

Remus glanced down at his shirt, then back to Sirius. He licked his lips and scratched the back of his neck, looking at his friend anxiously.

"Merlin's Pants, Remus. Is this about your scars? We've all seen them."

"You've seen the odd one or two by accident. This is different."

"You're the only one who's worried about them. None of us care, Moony."

Remus had a pained expression on his face, before he reluctantly took off his shirt and chucked it on the floor. He stared at Sirius in silence, watching to see what his reaction would be.

Sirius couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly in surprise at what he saw. Remus had hundreds of tiny scars all over his chest. He even had some particularly deep ones that ran across his stomach. Yet, perhaps the most salient one was the one of teeth marks on his shoulder, where had been bit by Fenrir Greyback all those years ago.

"I like them." Sirius commented.

"You _ike_ them?" Remus snorted, giving his friend an incredulous look.

"No, that's not what I mean. I mean…I like them because…well, because they're you. Your scars make you, _you_. They make you special. Does that make sense? Sorry, it sounds like bollocks doesn't it? But trust me, in my head it makes sense."

Remus raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. Sirius thought he was _special_? "No, no…that…that makes sense." He said, his words slightly garbled. "Thank you." He added.

Sirius gave a small nod in reply, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Anyway…won't be a minute." He said.

Remus fell back down into the comfort of his bed and sighed. His whole body was aching and he could feel the heat radiating off his skin. Eventually, in what felt like eons, Sirius finally returned. He held a wet flannel and pointed his wand deliberately at it. " _Glacius._ " He instructed, causing the flannel to freeze, acting as a makeshift icepack. He gently placed it on Remus' forehead. "Better?" he asked, cocking his head slightly like a dog.

"Much." Remus mumbled, feeling soothed by the cool material.

"I'd give Madam Pomfrey a run for her money."

"I'm not sure you're quite up to that standard yet."

"Moony, you wound me. Y'know I could just take this flannel away right now?"

"You won't." Remus said with a cocky smile.

"Don't tempt me." Sirius replied with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Within half an hour, the other boys had already begun to wake up. James rubbed his sleepy eyes before blindly reaching for his glasses. He blinked a couple of times, before his gaze settled on Sirius who was sat on Remus' bed, holding a flannel against his forehead.

"Is Moony alright?" he asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

"I don't know." Sirius replied, his voice wavering slightly. Remus had fallen asleep again and his fever didn't seem to have abated at all.

James climbed out of his bed and walked over to Remus' bed, whilst Peter, with a worried look on his face remained sat on his bed watching from a distance.

"We should take him to Madam Pomfrey." James suggested, raking his hand through his unruly mop of hair as he noticed Remus' pallor.

"We can't. I promised him I wouldn't." Sirius replied as he drew back the flannel and started twisting it around his hands nervously.

"Why in Merlin's name would you promise that?" James asked in disbelief.

"You should have seen him when he was awake. He begged me, Prongs. I couldn't say no." Sirius explained desperately.

James sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Fine. But if he gets any worse, we'll have to take him regardless."

"Yeah, 'course."

"What's wrong with him anyway? Is it just a bad reaction to the full moon?"

"I think so. I'm not sure. Yesterday we had an astronomy class and Professor Sinistra had been wittering on about some Supermoon or something. I don't know…I wasn't listening. Moony seemed to be worried that it would affect him in some way though, but I didn't think anything of it." Sirius admitted a little sheepishly.

"Hmm." James hummed thoughtfully as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Maybe we should see what we can find in the library and see if there's something we can do to help him."

Just then, Remus began to whimper in his sleep, large beads of sweat trickling down the sides of his pale face. His whimpers soon turned to rapid, shallow breathing as he began to toss and turn under the covers. The two boys glanced at each other with troubled expressions.

Sirius instinctively leant forward and grabbed Remus' shoulder, jostling him slightly, hoping to wake him up as he normally would when he had nightmares. Much to his dismay, Remus did not open his eyes but continued to violently thrash about in his bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey." Sirius ordered without turning to look at James, his gaze fixated on Remus.

James nodded without question and motioned for Peter to follow. "Come on Wormtail, let's go." He commanded, before leaving the dorm in a flurry.

Once the boys left the room, Sirius attempted to wake Remus again, shaking him more firmly this time. "Moony, wake up. Wake up you bloody wanker!" He barked, his stormy eyes prickling from unshed tears. He hated seeing his friend like this, especially when he couldn't do anything to help him. He felt utterly fucking useless.

Remus did not stir, causing Sirius to growl in frustration. "Just wake up dammit!" he yelled, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

Then, all of a sudden, Remus' eyes snapped open.

Sirius inhaled sharply. "Thank Merlin, you're awake." He said, the tension that had been building up in his chest instantly dissipating.

"Moony…?" he called, frowning a little. Something was wrong. Remus' eyes were open, but it was as if he was still asleep, completely unaware that Sirius was sitting there beside him.

Remus' eyes were frantically darting back and forth, as if he could see something that Sirius could not. "No! Get away from him!" he wailed, making Sirius jump up in surprise. Who…or _what_ was he yelling at? Was Remus hallucinating?

"Hey, hey! Stop that." Sirius instructed as he straddled Remus and pinned him down to the mattress, so that he couldn't hurt himself, or _him_ for that matter. "You're stronger than you look." Sirius commented humourlessly.

Remus fought fiercely against Sirius' restraint, his features contorted in anguish. "Stop him!" he begged, letting out a small sob.

"It's not real! Moony, it's not real." Sirius said, a hint of desperation in his voice. "There's no one here but me."

In what seemed like hours, Remus finally gave in to his exhaustion, his body unable to fight against Sirius' strength anymore. His body went limp, his head collapsing back into the pillow. "Don't…don't bite him." He murmured almost inaudibly, his eyelids suddenly feeling overwhelmingly heavy as he drifted off in to a restless sleep again.

When Sirius was sure Remus was no longer conscious, he loosened his grip on his friend's arms and sat himself back down on the side of the bed. Sirius looked terrified. He had never seen Remus in such a state before, and what's more, the things Moony had been shouting in his hallucination deeply unsettled him. What could Remus have been imagining that would have caused him so much grief? Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat and waited anxiously for James and Peter to return with Madam Pomfrey.


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius sat outside the Hospital Wing, his back pressed against the coarse stone wall whilst his legs were tucked up into his chest. He folded his arms across his knees, and rested his forehead against them. He hated being stuck outside the infirmary, unable to be there for his friend or see how he was doing.

James and Peter were standing beside him, their hands tucked into their pockets. Sirius' silence was deafening. His reticence was making the boys extremely uncomfortable.

"He'll be okay. Remus is tough as nails." James mumbled, hoping to reassure Sirius and disturb the silence.

Sirius remained taciturn and motionless, lost in his own thoughts.

Just then, the door creaked open and Madam Pomfrey emerged. "I've given him a little Potion for Dreamless Sleep, but that's the best I can do for now." She informed them, giving them a small, sympathetic smile. "I suggest you go back to your common room. Mr. Lupin won't be stirring for at least a couple of hours, and he needs his rest." She added, before marching back into the infirmary and pulling the door closed behind her.

"We may as well go to the library and see if we can find something about the Supermoon, then." James suggested with a shrug.

Peter nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

"You up for it, Padfoot?" James prompted.

Sirius remained speechless in his huddled position on the floor.

"Sirius, he's not going anywhere and he's getting the best help there is. You can't just sit here feeling sorry for yourself. We should at least try and help him by doing some research."

Sirius remained silent as he pondered the situation. Finally, he sluggishly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixated on James as he gave a weak nod. "Fine." He croaked.

James offered him his hand and pulled him back up on to his feet. "We've got three hours before the sun sets, so we better get going."

In the library, the boys had managed to accumulate an enormous pile of books on the lunar cycle and werewolves. James and Sirius were completely engrossed in their research, so when Peter decided to go to the bathroom, he had to tell them three times before they finally looked up from their books and acknowledged what he was saying. "Alright, see you in a bit." James muttered, his attention already drifting back to the words on the page.

Once Peter was out of earshot, James turned to face Sirius. He licked his lips apprehensively. "Do you like Remus?" he asked, adjusting the glasses that were perched on his nose.

Sirius furrowed his brows together in confusion. "What kind of question is that? Of course I like Remus." Sirius scoffed, slightly offended by his question.

"No, what I mean is…" James began, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "What I mean is…do you _like_ him?"

"Do I what?" Sirius spluttered.

"I don't mind if you do." James added quickly.

"I'm not gay, James." Sirius retorted, his cheeks flushing furiously.

"I wouldn't care if you were. It's just…I can tell you really care about Moony, and…I don't know...I see the way you look at him. You and I…we're best friends, you know? You can tell me anything."

"I don't look at him in any special way! I _like_ girls. I dated Marlene McKinnon in second year, didn't I?" Sirius growled.

"Yeah, for like a month. That doesn't exactly prove anything."

"You're full of bullshit, James. We've got more important things to do than argue about my sexuality." Sirius snapped as he slammed his book shut and reached for the next one in the pile. He flicked furiously through the pages, deliberately avoiding James' penetrating gaze.

"Fine." James replied curtly as he skipped to Chapter 3 of his copy of 'Wanderings with Werewolves', and proceeded to read.

Just then, Peter ambled back to their table. "Find anything yet?" he asked with curiosity, as he plonked himself down in his seat.

After a few moments awkward silence, James sighed. "No." he muttered.

"Okay…" Peter replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable. The atmosphere had certainly changed since he had left earlier. The two boys appeared to be fuming, and Sirius wouldn't even look up from his book. They must have had a row of some kind. Peter, not one to enjoy confrontations, decided to leave them to it, and instead focus on his research.

Just then, Sirius cleared his throat and spoke up. "What does 'dissociation of both entities' mean?"

"Where?" James asked with a frown, before snatching his book to take a closer look. Peter and Sirius waited with anticipation as James skim read the page.

"The book seems to suggest that a Supermoon makes Werewolves significantly stronger and more dangerous, and that prior to their transformation, they will experience more debilitating side effects. During a Supermoon, Werewolves are liable to attack anything, even animals. It also says that in exceptionally rare cases, if the person is particularly affected by the pull of the moon, they can transform without the physical side effects."

"Without the physical side effects? What does that even mean?" Sirius asked, looking bewildered.

"I don't know. It doesn't say." James shrugged.

"So, basically, Remus is going to turn into some sort of hulked out werewolf and we can't even use our Animagus abilities to help him."

James sighed. "Basically."

"Well, that's just fucking great." Sirius exploded. At his outburst, the pile of books on their table flew across the room in different directions, narrowly avoiding Peter and James' heads. Sirius very rarely lost his temper, but when he did, he wasn't able to control his abilities and he would often inadvertently cause a scene.

A group of first years who were sat nearby, stared dumfounded at the marauders.

"What are you looking at?" Sirius growled, scaring them into returning to their work.

"Look, just because some writer believes werewolves are dangerous to animals on a Supermoon, doesn't mean we can't test the theory out for ourselves. I mean, how many case studies do they have of three animagi keeping a werewolf company?" James offered, attempting to reassure him.

"I guess." Sirius responded, visibly relaxing a little. "So, we're still gonna join him?"

"I don't see why not. We'll just have to be really careful." James said, before adding "But if it becomes too dangerous, we'll have to leave."

Sirius raked his hand through his unruly mop of hair. "Alright." He agreed.

"You in, Peter?" James asked, raising his eyebrow inquisitively.

Peter let out a shaky breath. "Y-Yeah, I'm in." he stammered as he wrung his hands anxiously.

"Sounds like a plan." James said, grinning from ear to ear.


	5. Chapter 5

Remus was sitting propped up against the dusty wall, holding his head in his hands. His knuckles were white from gripping his hair with such physical exertion. The other three marauders emerged through the trap door, startling him.

"For a moment, I thought you weren't coming." He mumbled weakly. They could tell he was in pain from the wavering in his voice and the way he held his body.

"Never. I… _we_ would _never_ leave you alone on a full moon." Sirius replied, slightly offended by Remus' train of thought.

"Maybe you shouldn't be here. We don't really know how this Supermoon is going to affect me." Remus deliberated, suddenly feeling awfully nervous about the whole situation. He was always anxious like this just before the full moon. It was one of the side effects of his transformation, so the marauders weren't surprised by his sudden change in mind as they were now used to calming him down.

"For someone who's so clever, you can be really bloody stupid." Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"He's right, Moony. We're the marauders. We stick together. And in any case, for all you know, the transformation could be just like any other. We're not going to leave you." James added, folding his arms firmly against his chest as he gave the other marauders a cautionary look. He didn't want Remus to know about what they had read in the library, otherwise there was no way in hell that he would let them stay. He could be incredibly stubborn when he wanted to be.

"What they said." Peter said, a small, nervous smile playing on his lips.

Remus nodded meekly.

Within a few minutes, Peter had already converted himself into a rat, and lay curled up on top of the piano, watching the sky outside anxiously. He found Remus' transformations terrifying, and would always be the first to switch into his animal form. James stood on the other side of the room, back pressed against the wall, keeping a safe distance whilst he watched Remus warily. On the other hand, Sirius, reckless as ever, was sat beside Remus, attempting to cheer him up by cracking jokes.

Just then, a sliver of moonlight seeped through the crack in the boarded up window, illuminating the faces of the boys. Remus inhaled sharply, his body suddenly becoming rigid. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

James noticed his friend's change in posture and glanced down at Sirius. "Padfoot, _now_." he commanded.

"No, not yet!" he barked back defiantly.

"Don't be an idiot, Sirius. Turn now!" James growled.

"I SAID NOT YET!"

James clenched his jaw furiously, before effortlessly morphing himself into a stag. Sirius was a fucking idiot. He was going to get himself killed!

Sirius, ignoring James' warning, kneeled in front of Remus, who was huddled in front of him with his hands firmly gripping his chestnut-coloured hair. Sirius placed a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder. "It's going to be okay." He murmured softly. Then, all of a sudden, Remus let out a scream of agony as an excruciating jolt of pain racked through his body. He sunk down onto his hands and knees, panting heavily. "Sirius, GO! NOW!" he yelled hoarsely, his eyes fixating on the wooden floor, attempting to focus on anything but the stabbing pain in his limbs.

Sirius scrambled backwards, frightened by Remus' sudden outburst. He picked himself up off the floor and stood a little further away, but refused to shift just yet.

Remus gasped as he felt a sharp, searing pain in his head. It was as if someone had set his brain on fire. He cried out in agony, his hands pressing desperately against his temples, trying to claw the pain away. He writhed in agony on the floor, clutching his head. The burning sensation wouldn't stop. It felt like someone was holding a blowtorch to his skull. This had never happened before, this was something completely new to him. He had never had a pain like this in a transformation before, and he couldn't feel the usual cracking and shifting of his bones. The feeling in his head was a hundred times worse.

Sirius stared, petrified to the spot as his friend thrashed about on the floor. He had never seen anything like it. As Remus screamed again in agony, Sirius snapped out of his stupor and rushed over to him. He grabbed Remus' hands, attempting to prevent him from hurting himself. Remus' temples were already bleeding from his nails digging so ferociously into his skin.

"N-No, my…my HEAD. It's burning!" he yelled, trying to break free from Sirius' grip.

"Stop it, no! You're going to hurt yourself!" Sirius barked back.

After a few more seconds of struggling, Remus fell limp under Sirius' weight, his head collapsing onto the hardwood floor.

Sirius' heart hammered painfully against his chest. "…Moony?" he called out, swallowing nervously.

Remus' eyelids slowly peeled open, but his eyes had changed. His irises were no longer their usual amber hue, instead they were a startling black. A low growl started deep in his chest, his soulless eyes fixated on the human in front of him. Sirius' breath caught in his throat, too scared to move. He could feel his back prickling with sweat. Without a moment's hesitation, Remus grabbed the collar of Sirius' shirt and threw him across the room with his newfound strength, as if he were merely a toy. Sirius yelped as his back slammed into the piano.

James, realising that his Animagus form would be useless against Remus in his human form, quickly shifted back into his body. Gripping his wand tightly in his hand, he flicked his wrist, and shouted " _Stupefy!_ ".

Remus narrowly missed the spell, and lurched forward. He grabbed James' tie, and smashed his fist into his jaw. James cried out in pain. He could already taste the familiar metallic tang of blood in his mouth.

Sirius held his wand, trying to steady his shaking hand. He had to do this. He i _could_ /i do this. Remus was going to kill James otherwise. He pointed his wand at the back of Remus' head, and swallowed nervously. Just then, Remus planted another punch into the side of James' face. Without another moment's hesitation, Sirius flicked his wand, causing Remus to crash backwards into the bed post. James' knees buckled, but he reached out for the piano in time and used it as support.

"You alright, Prongs?"

"Yeah, I'll live." He replied, spitting some blood onto the floor.

Just then, Remus barrelled into Sirius, knocking him backwards. He pinned him down, his slender fingers wrapping around Sirius' neck as he tightened his grip, suffocating him. Sirius rasped against the force of his grasp, his hand desperately reaching out for his wand. "J-James…h-help." He spluttered.

James struggled to think of what to do. He couldn't use a full-body bind curse, in case Remus' grip would tighten on Sirius' throat and he certainly couldn't do anything that would seriously harm him. He racked his brain for something to do, when suddenly Remus cried out in pain. Peter, still in rat form, had clamped his razor sharp teeth down onto his ankle. In his shock, Remus had accidentally let go of his clasp on Sirius, which gave Sirius enough time to swing a punch at Remus' nose and snatch back his wand.

" _Petrificus Totalus!"_ Sirius yelled at the top of his voice.

The curse hit Remus directly in the chest. His legs snapped together, his body turning rigid. Within a few seconds, he had toppled over, falling over flat on his back, stiff as a board.

Sirius shook his hand, wincing as he felt his bleeding knuckles throb.

"Bloody hell." James muttered, wiping his bloody face with his sleeve.

"Bloody hell." Sirius repeated in agreement.

"Help me carry him over to the bed?" James asked, as he walked over to Remus and started lifting him up by his shoulders.

Sirius nodded, then picked up his legs. They gently placed him on the bed, but just as Remus' head hit the pillow, James frowned. "Did he just blink?" he asked, turning to face Sirius, but before he could even acknowledge what was happening, Remus headbutted him, knocking him out cold.

"Shit!" Sirius exclaimed. The spell wasn't supposed to wear off unless someone used a counter spell! What the fuck had just happened? Is this what the book had been trying to warn them about?

Remus lunged at Sirius, growling.

Sirius took a tentative step backwards. "Moony…" he began. "You don't want to do this." He said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Remus' growl grew louder as he took a step closer.

"I don't want to hurt you." Sirius pleaded. "Stay back!"

Remus clenched his fist tightly, preparing to strike. However, just as he was about to attack, Sirius flicked his wand and cried " _Everte Statum!_ ". Remus was flung several feet into the air, and came crashing down onto the piano. He yelped in pain, clutching his arm which had twisted into an unnatural angle. Yet, he was so intent on killing Sirius, he ignored the pain in his arm and began making his way over to him again.

" _Everte Statum!_ " Sirius repeated, his voice wavering slightly as he saw Remus' broken arm.

Remus flew backwards again, his head smashing against the door. His body crumpled onto the floor, motionless.

Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling his eyes prick from unshed tears. "Moony?" he called out, but Remus' body lay limp and unresponsive. "Moony?" he said again as he walked cautiously over to him. Kneeling down beside him, he gave him a tentative shake. Sirius felt his heart lurch painfully against his ribcage. Had he killed him? Sirius' shaky fingers reached out to take his pulse. For a moment, he felt nothing, but then much to his relief, he suddenly felt a faint pulse. "Fuck." He sighed with relief. He was alive. They all were. It was over.


	6. Chapter 6

Remus gradually peeled his eyes open, wincing slightly from the harsh light of the Hospital Wing. Before he could take time to register his surroundings, he suddenly heard the chair beside him scrape backwards.

"Morning, sunshine." Sirius teased, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Remus noticed that his knuckles had been bandaged up and his neck was peppered with deep purple bruises, as if someone had been strangling him. Remus furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "Your neck…" he croaked.

Sirius readjusted the collar of his shirt self-consciously. "Don't worry about. It looks worse than it is." He replied with a shrug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"And your knuckles…" Remus commented. He attempted to reach out and take Sirius' hand, but yelped in pain when he tried to move. He glanced down and was surprised to see that his arm was bundled up in a cast. "What happened? Did I hurt you?" Remus asked gingerly, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Does it matter? Can't we just be glad it's over?" Sirius sighed as he sat himself down on the edge of Remus' bed.

"It matters to me." Remus huffed.

"You…you didn't turn." Sirius explained, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"What? What are you talking about?" he spluttered in confusion.

"You didn't turn into a Werewolf." Sirius repeated, before adding "You…you kind of went psycho on us, Moony. It was kind of like your mind had gone, but you were still in your body. You still looked like you, if that makes any sense."

The colour in Remus' cheeks drained, his face becoming ashen-white. "You mean…I attacked you in my own body?" he said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Basically, yeah." Sirius answered, swallowing nervously, waiting for the inevitable outburst.

"And…and what about James and Peter? Don't tell me I hurt them too…"

"James has got a _mild_ concussion and a broken nose, and Peter's a little shaken, but other than that, they're fine. They'll both live." He replied, waving his hand dismissively.

"They'll _live_? What kind of shitty consolation is that? I tried to kill you!" Remus exploded.

"That wasn't you. You weren't in control." Sirius responded calmly.

"That's just an excuse. How can you stand to be around me? I'm a monster." Remus sobbed, turning his head away from Sirius, as he felt his eyes pricking with fresh tears.

"You're such a self-centred arsehole, you know that? Why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself, and start thinking about how we feel for once, huh?" Sirius growled back. There was a few moments silence before Sirius sighed again. "We don't think you're a monster, Moony. You're our friend and if you ever say anything like that again…" Sirius trailed off, feeling his anger abating.

Remus didn't reply, but sniffed loudly instead, letting a warm tear roll down his cheek.

"Come on, Moony. It's really not a big deal." Sirius sympathised, placing a comforting hand on Remus' arm, his thumb lightly brushing against his skin.

"I just don't get why you like me. Like, seriously, how? I'm ill most of the time and all I do is put you guys in danger." Remus said bitterly.

"Look at me." Sirius ordered, the tone of his voice stern but friendly.

Remus reluctantly turned his head to face Sirius as he wiped away his tears with his sleeve.

"Without Remus bloody Lupin, we wouldn't even have the Marauders. You're the brains of the operation…without you there's no way we could pull off half as many pranks as we do. You're smart, you're kind, you're brave and not to mention you're the most sarcastic son of a bitch I've ever met. You always see the best in people, even if you don't see it in yourself, and I don't know what I'd do if you weren't around. I care about you, Moony." Sirius confessed.

Remus stared at him dumbfounded. He had no idea this was how Sirius felt about him. "I…I don't know what to say." He murmured, his eyes fixated on him.

"Yeah, well…you don't have to say anything…just believe it." Sirius replied, licking his lips nervously.

"I care about you too, you know." Remus admitted after a brief silence, looking down at his cast, attempting to avoid Sirius' gaze.

"I know." He said, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

"Sirius?" Remus whispered.

"Remus?" Sirius mocked, raising his eyebrow slightly.

Before he could change his mind, Remus slipped his finger into the collar of Sirius' shirt and pulled him close, feeling his warm breath against his skin. Closing his eyes, Remus firmly pressed his soft lips against his. When he pulled away, Sirius was staring at him wide-eyed. He looked like he'd been jinxed with the Full-Body Bind Curse. Sirius brought his fingers up to his own mouth, tentatively touching where their lips had just met. He licked his tingling lips, his heart beating furiously against his chest.

"I-I'm sorry…I-I shouldn't have done that. I don't know why I did that." Remus stammered nervously.

"Shut up." Sirius replied, rolling his stormy grey eyes. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed Remus' face in his hands and drew him into a hungry kiss. Sirius groaned softly, sending a shiver up Remus' spine as their warm lips caressed against each other.

Time had frozen still. It could have been seconds, minutes or hours before Sirius reluctantly tore his incessant lips away from the kiss, staring at Remus dumbstruck. "Bloody hell." He spluttered.

"Bloody hell." Remus echoed. That had been the best damn kiss in his life.


End file.
